The Sugar Girls of Love Lane: Tales of Love, Loss and Friendship from Tate & Lyle's Liverpool Refinery

The Sugar Girls of Love Lane is a social history of the post-war era that tells the remarkable stories of those who worked at the famous Tate & Lyle factory in Liverpool. Over 10,000 workers passed through the doors of the factory during its lifetime, with some families counting four or even five generations of service. The work was tough, but the friendships formed would last a lifetime, and many women met their future husbands at the factory.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 25 April 2024
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd

The Sugar Girls of Love Lane, written by Duncan Barrett and Nuala Calvi, is a captivating book that delves into the remarkable stories of those who worked at the famous Tate & Lyle factory in Liverpool. For over a century, the factory, located at Love Lane, dominated the Liverpool skyline and played a vital role in the local community. More than 10,000 workers passed through its doors during its lifetime, with some families boasting four or even five generations of service. Young women leaving school in the post-war years were drawn to the factory by the good wages and the unrivaled social life it offered. Upon arrival, they began at the bottom, sweeping sugar off the floors, before graduating to packing and weighing by hand. The work was tough, with girls expected to stack heavy bags of sugar onto pallets five feet high, and by the end of the day, their arms were aching and their stockings full of sugar dust. Despite the hard work, the women found ways to have fun and formed friendships that would last a lifetime. Many women also met their future husbands at the factory, and expected their own children to follow in their footsteps. Barrett and Calvi's social history of the post-war era offers a warm and nostalgic look back at one of the most iconic factories in the north, bringing back a vanished era of hard work, community spirit, and simple pleasures.

Weight: 226g
Dimension: 197 x 128 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781471148170